FOUR WEEKS AGO we were debating whether face masks were necessary or not. Now we’re starting to fine people if they fail to wear masks in any public place, inside or outside.
Somerville announced $300 fines on Monday, joining Cambridge ($300), Peabody ($1,000), Salem ($50 for a first offense and $300 for a third), and a handful of other Massachusetts communities.
Nationally, Los Angeles County requires anyone shopping or doing essential business to wear a mask, although authorities are counting on voluntary compliance. In Riverside County in California, however, mask-less scofflaws could face $1,000 fines. The Colorado county in which Steamboat Springs is located issued an order requiring all customers and employees at essential businesses to wear masks or risk fines of $5,000 or even 18 months in prison.
Internationally, Germany has ordered people to wear face masks in public. Enforcement is left to individual states, with fines ranging from nothing in some areas to 5,000 euros in others.
The face mask orders raise interesting policy questions. Is it better for political leaders to lay out the facts as they know them and appeal to the public for compliance? (Think Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.) Or does it make sense to go that additional step and threaten them with fines if they don’t comply? Which is better – a carrot, a stick, or both?
Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone likes to think big. He grabbed the public’s attention with his face mask announcement on Monday, which was partnered with an ambitious plan to test everyone in the municipality for COVID-19.
“When you have a health crisis like this changing rapidly and exponentially every day, we can’t be incremental in our approach. We must be bold, we must be uniform and acting in sync with each other,” Curtatone said recently.
The Somerville order, which takes effect on Wednesday, requires face masks to be worn by anyone 2 years old or older at any business open to the public and all public spaces, such as parks, sidewalks, streets, and outdoor commercial areas. “Joggers and cyclists must adhere to the order along with pedestrians,” the city says.
The Somerville order got massive press coverage, but there appeared to be little pushback against the idea of mandatory face coverings.
“I know this feels strange for many of us, but it is the best way you can prevent yourself from inadvertently spreading coronavirus to others when you’re out in public,” said Curtatone. “Not everyone who has COVID-19 shows symptoms. You can be carrying the virus and infecting others without knowing. No one wants to be the one who infected the grocery store clerk, or the hardware store stocker, or the family out for a stroll. Wearing a mask is one way to avoid that.”
Still, don’t expect a police crackdown in Somerville. There is a one-week grace period before the fines kick in and even then enforcement will likely take a back seat to education.
“Ticketing for this is our last resort, but we do have to put public health first. So for those individuals who willfully fail to comply, we will reserve this option,” said David Fallon, Somerville’s chief of police.
